Friday, November 13, 2009

Just To Be Safe

Personally, I think they should have taken off and tased him from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. Police mistake man having a diabetic attack for a drunk driver:
But he said officers never keyed into the blood testing kit on his lap, the sugar pills in his hand, the insulin pump on his belt and the alert necklace around his neck. Instead, he said they handcuffed him and threw him on the ground.
Snark aside though, I'm diabetic too. That's one of the main reasons I let my driver's license expire: I can have sudden bouts of dizziness. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can sneak up without much in the way of noticeable symptoms, then suddenly you find yourself confused, disoriented, and so weak that lifting an arm is difficult- let alone getting up and getting something sugary. I do think that people with chronic illnesses should consider carefully the ramifications of driving, and the safety issues associated for both them, loved passengers, and other people on and around the roads they travel. I think auto insurance companies ought to have such driving-and-health related questions on their applications. I hear about diabetics getting stopped for mistaken DUI's regularly.

The fact is, if you're too impaired to drive, whatever the cause, you're too impaired to drive. Period.

On the other hand, shame on the police who were too ignorant to recognize an obvious health emergency, and felt it was necessary to throw the should-be patient on the ground and handcuff him, rather than rendering useful assistance. Before justifiably writing him up as driving while impaired.

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